Six pigeons were trained to key peck for 3-s access to mixed
grain on a multiple variable-interval 60-s extinction schedule.
The schedule then was changed to a mixed variable-interval 60-s
extinction schedule. Simultaneously, a treadle was introduced
into the chamber. For 3 pigeons, the stimulus correlated
previously with the variable-interval schedule could be produced
by treadle pressing (i.e., an observing response) on a tandem
fixed-ratio 1 differential-reinforcement-of-other-behavior 10-s
schedule. For the other 3 pigeons, no contingency was
implemented for treadle pressing. Treadle pressing was
established equally in the presence and absence of the observing
contingency. The results did not extend previous findings on
response acquisition with delayed reinforcement to delayed
conditioned reinforcement. Several aspects of the observing
procedure are discussed, including the rate of food
reinforcement, delays to food, and schedule preference.
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Acquisition of Observing Responses
With Delayed Conditioned Reinforcement
By
Gregory A. Lieving